My little speech had some problems.
For a first.
I push one of the dagger hilt hard against empty air, digging into the ground.
"Jump if you need too"
I take my spear and push the wooden hilt on the ground before leaning all my weight on it.
"or stab and then lean with all your weight on it"
I start shaking the hilt. "shake it"
I lift the spear and slam the hilt on the ground again. "stab again"
I jump and push down, anything to kill the invisible enemy at my feet. "do anything you feel like, just... violently"
Annie is queasy, I give her back her dagger and see her practice what I advised against the air.
She's weak.
But at least she's trying, practice may just override her queasiness "aim in sensitive area, neck, if they sleep on their belly, back of the neck would do fine, just push as hard as you can"
I need her to be ready for any situation, try to reduce the shock of what could happen so that she can be...relatively ready.
"if they wake up, stab the head and don't stop, warn balrow if you need."
I look back and see jenna playing with the dagger she had, I thought I would have needed to do the same with Jenna but.
She take one of her arrow and start stabbing it in the ground again and again and again and again and again and again and again.
I change my sentence "warn balrow or jenna, they will help you" does she have a vendetta against goblins or what?
I pat Annie on her shoulder and she mumble a "thanks" only one word, yep, she's not feeling well, I let her to practice while I walk toward the door, door my ass, it's more of a hole than anything.
Seeing malfoy already leaning against the wall, we both enter.
4 hours have passed since I talked about that plan.
We passed our time doing backflip, well, I did.
We somehow stumbled on that subject in the middle of a conversation and I just needed to flex my backflipping skills.
Anyway, apart from that we passed our time relaxing, eating a bit, practicing, and obviously, doing the thing malfoy and I are currently doing, scouting the sun.
We did multiples rotation, always with one fighter in it, right now, it's malfoy and me.
I was just planning on doing one fighter, and one non fighter till the end of time, but that would have raised ethics problems since jenna and Annie would always need to go. Also...
"Why do you want to kill hulk?"
I can't believe I just say hulk in a straight face.
THAT'S SUPPOSED TO BE A SERIOUS CONVERSATION FOR FUCK SAKE!
Malfoy keep walking, same as I, before he answer.
"You do know why, ludger, you convinced them after all" This little fucker talking in enigma, think he's balrow or some shit?
"No malfoy, I don't know why you came to me all like"
I change my tone into an exaggerated snobbish voice "ludger we need to commit murder, we do, we do" I take back my normal tone "surprisingly enough, I don't know how to read minds, shocking, I know"
Malfoy roll his eyes, but still don't say anything after I call him malfoy, strange.
"You do not know. Of course. I believe you."
...that was sarcasm wasn't it?
Why is he convinced that I understand!? "I'm not joking malfoy"
"Do you wish to train grappling with me after we eleminate hulk?" Ohhhh right his black magic shit "Hell yeah"
"See, you do know" KNOW WHAT!?
Before I can continue digging for more and more answers, we reach the guard tower.
The sun is against the horizon, a gentle orange light illuminate us, it will be night soon.
"Ready to kill hulk?" Malfoy lean against the rail "always" I look around outside and see that more goblins are getting in tents, some enter destroyed buildings. Yeah, we'll probably be able to kill all of them tonight.
Now the hard job is hulk.
I turn around and start walking back to the safe zone "let's go back" malfoy follow me but does not add anything.
When we reach the safe door, the first thing I see is balrow getting used to the arrows, I go toward him and grab his attention with a tap on the shoulder.
He looks at me, I look at him, he looks at me, I look at him.
I feel like we're doing that a lot.
"Used to it yet?" He nod while grasping the lot of arrows he has, he take it back in his inventory without speaking, I raise an eyebrow "good job" He nod at me, and take one arrow with only a thought again "definetly will be useful to kill the goblins" He nod "it will"
He look at me, I look at him "Will you kill hulk?" Strange to hear him say hulk out loud, in any case I speak up, no hesitation in my voice. "We're going to crush him" He nod.
"We'll go soon" he nod, he's ready apparently, I pat his shoulder before turning around and walking to Annie.
She look at me when I approach and wave widly, sitting on the ground.
Seems in a better mood.
I squat down in front of her "think you can do it?" She smile "pfft, obviously, I'm going to rip their skins off and-!" I pat her shoulder "I don't doubt it" A small, more truthful smile appear on her face as she keep talking "and you? You're gonna destroy and crush hulk before doing a backflip on his crushed corpse?"
You know what? I was gonna interupt her mid sentence but if she need to act all bloodthirsty to get mentally ready, that's fine.
"Yes Annie" she frown "Yes mousy" she smile.
"Yes, I will destroy and crush hulk before doing a backflip on his corpse"
"do two backflips" I grimace
"Two? That's kinda a lot" "What!? One is fine but two isn't?" "Obviously it isn't, imagine I fall on the second one" "why wouldn't you fall on the first one?" "Ehhhh dunno, one is fine, but two? Two?" "What's wrong with two!?" "Just doesn't like the number." "You don't like the number!" "Yep" "then one is fine"
I tend my hand forward, she takes it "we have a deal"
She shake my hand. "Don't know what I'm giving in this deal but we do." Freeing our hands, I speak again "we'll leave soon"
She stop a bit at that and nod "Alright, I'm ready" not insulting her own self determination, I fistbump her before getting up "I'll do two backflips" "What!? Why two now?" "Eh just feel like it, see ya!" "Wait wait what!?"
Leaving her to think about double backflips I walk toward jenna, she's on her bed, rubbing her red sore hands.
I sit beside her, and with a motherly smile she greet me "everything went well outside?" I look at her hand, and don't ask how she got that, I saw her trying to kill the ground with those arrows arrows.
"Yep, no goblins in sight" she rub her sore palms together "That's good to know, are you sure you want to fight hulk?"
A concerned frown slowly appear on her smile the longer she talk
"Yes, we need too" we don't.
She smile sadly at that before she pat my shoulder "if you don't want to do it, we can still find another solution"
Ah, time for bullshittery. I pat her hand on my shoulder "Don't worry, that's the best plan, and killing hulk of all people sounds like a good challenge" As I say that malfoy pass in front of the bed we're on, and look at me, he raise his eyebrows as if he was trying to say "see, you know why" I'm gonna kill that fucker.
Focusing back on Jenna she nod "Alright, be careful though" what's with all the worry? "'I'm always careful" not giving her the time to say another worried thing, I speak up "we're gonna go soon" she look at me, her worry melt away and now I see the girl that stabbed a floor for an hour straight with an arrow for...practice.
She nod at me, a small determined smile on her face "thanks for warning me, I'm ready don't worry about it" oh I don't worry about it alright, don't worry.
Aren't blind yet.
Giving her a quick goodbye I get up and hesitate to go back to malfoy, but annoyed with all the dumb things he think I know, I go back in the middle of the room, a bit closer to the door and speak loud enough for everyone to hear me.
"Everyone, time to move"